At the top of the Christmas wish list for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team are home victories.

The Rainbow Warriors will begin a month-long homestand tomorrow when they host UNLV at the Stan Sheriff Center. It will be the first of six non-conference home games for Hawai'i in December.

"I would say we have to win at least five out of the six, because that keeps you on pace if you want to stay in the hunt for the postseason," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said.

The 'Bows are 4-3 overall after winning two of four games on an 11-day road trip. Wallace said he would like to enter the Western Athletic Conference season — which starts in January — with "nine or 10" victories.

"You hope to get 10 or 11 wins in the WAC, and if you want to reach 20 (wins) for the season, you need to win your share before the WAC starts," Wallace said. "So if you look at it that way, these are all going to be big games for us (in December)."

The 'Bows returned to Honolulu last Thursday, and have already practiced twice in the Sheriff Center since then in preparation for tomorrow's game.

"Oh man, it felt so good to be back," senior co-captain Matt Lojeski said. "Just being able to relax in your own bed makes a difference when you've been on the road that long. But also catching up on school work — not having to worry about that. And being able to shoot in your own gym. All of that is huge."

The 'Bows went 2-1 and finished in third place in the Great Alaska Shootout on Thanksgiving weekend. They then lost at Santa Clara, 68-59, last Wednesday.

"We learned how tough it is to play on the road," senior co-captain Ahmet Gueye said. "We feel like we should have won all four games, but 2-2 is not bad when you think about it. And we're still in a good position. If we win the next six games here, that's 10-3, and we'll be in good shape."

After tomorrow's game, the 'Bows are scheduled to play Northwestern State on Dec. 16, followed by three games in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic (Dec. 20-23), and then Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 28.

HAWAI'I SEEKS REVENGE AGAINST RUNNIN' REBELS

Tomorrow's game is the second half of a home-and-home series between Hawai'i and UNLV.

The Rebels won the first meeting, 73-59, at Las Vegas on Nov. 10. It was the season opener for both teams.

"That was our first game, and I think we came out nervous," Lojeski said. "We didn't play very well up there, so we're excited to play them again here."

UNLV is 5-2, with its losses coming against UC Santa Barbara and Arizona. The Rebels routed Northern Arizona, 93-53, on Saturday.

"I think they're better now than a month ago," Wallace said of the Rebels. "But I would hope that we're better, too."

Wallace said the 'Bows need to improve defensively to stay with the Rebels this time.

The 73 points scored by UNLV against Hawai'i was its lowest output of the season. In six games since then, the Rebels are averaging 84.2 points per game.

"We struggle against the teams with perimeter quickness, and that's what (the Rebels) have," Wallace said. "We'll have to be ready to play team defense."

This is the second consecutive season that the 'Bows and Rebels played a home-and-home series. Last season, they split the games, with each team winning at home.

GUEYE LOOKING TO REBOUND FROM SHUTOUT

Ahmet Gueye said he can vividly recall the road game against UNLV last season when former teammate Julian Sensley was held scoreless.

Gueye would like to forget his last game, when he was held scoreless in a loss at Santa Clara. He shot 0 for 6 from the field, and never made it to the free-throw line. It was the first time in 33 career games at Hawai'i that Gueye did not score.

"I know how Julian feels now, even though I never wanted it to happen to me," said Gueye, a 6-foot-8 forward. "I'm a leader of this team, and I can't let that happen again."

Gueye put in overtime after yesterday's practice, working on his low-post moves with associate coach Bob Nash.

'BOWS ATTEMPTING TO SHARPEN OUTSIDE SHOTS

Wallace instructed four of his top long-range shooters — Lojeski, Matt Gibson, Dominic Waters and Riley Luettgerodt — to take extra 3-point shots after yesterday's practice.

"We need to knock more shots down," Wallace said. "And I'd like to see those guys shoot with more confidence."

Hawai'i is averaging 4.6 3-pointers per game, and shooting just 34.6 percent from 3-point range this season.

NOTES

Tomorrow's game has been designated a "White-Out" by the UH marketing department, so all fans are encouraged to wear white shirts. The 'Bows are 7-1 in "White-Out" games since the concept started in 2002.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.